Carriage



1:. W. ZIMMER.

Patented Dec. 11, 1888.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

F. W. ZIMMER.

CARRIAGE.

No. 394,239. Patented Dec. 11, 1888.

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. @7 s uQtziorw/eys UNITED STATES PATENT OEETcE.

FREDERICK ZIMHER, OF ROCHESTER, NEIV YORK.

CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,239, dated December 11, 1888. Application filed September'ZG, 1888. Serial NO. 286,466. (r6 model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. ZIMMER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of carriages in which all of the occupants are completely inclosed, and in which access is had to the interior through a door at the side, and generally known as physicians carriages, and has for its object to improve their construction and operation, particularly facilitating the entrance and exit of the occupants without liability of the door interfering with the wheels, and also adapting the whole front to be thrown open when desired, as in warm weather; and it consists in certain improved constructions and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter described, and the novel features pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In carriages of this general construction the reach is comparatively short, and consequently the forward and rear wheels have been close together, and as the doors have usually been swung outward on hinges it was necessary to turn the front aXle to one side when the door was opened; but there are many serious objections to this, in that the door is liable to bej ammed by the sudden starting of the horse; but this disadvantage is obviated in the present construction by arranging the door on ways parallel with the body and permitting it to be slid toward the rear when desired. Another objection to the old form lay in the employing of standards at the forward corners, against which the doors were closed, and windows which could not be removed when de sired, thus preventing the front of the vehicle being thrown open, as in warm weather; but this objection I also obviate by so constructing and arranging the Various parts that the standards are dispensed with, and the whole front of the vehicle can be thrown open in a few moments without the services of a skilled operator, leaving no obstructions from the rear of one side opening to the other, save an ordinary dash. In the present construction, also,

the operation of the front windows, or at least the one in front of the driver, is facilitated, so that it can be opened or closed when desired without necessitating the driver loosening his hold of the reins when driving.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the body of a vehicle constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a sin1i lar view with the door and one of the front windows open; Fig. 3, a sectional view looking toward the front, showing the means for operating one of the front window-sashes and the manner of mounting the sliding door; Fig. 4, a sectional view on the line .1 .r of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a view of one of the windowsashes detached; Fig. 6, a view of the top of the slid- 7o ing door, showing the spring for keeping it tight.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

The body A of the vehicleis constructed, in

tops of these doors are provided with two springs, II, as shown in Fig. (3, one at each end, secured thereto at their centers and provided on the ends with small anti friction rollers h 71, said springs operating when the doors are in place to hold them firmly in position on the rails F and keep them tight, preventing rattling. Further, when desired to remove the doors entirely, as in warm weather, they can be moved upward, compressing the springs and permitting the lower ends to be moved outward and downward, as will be understood. The tension of the springs is such that,while they will not interfere with the proper manipulation of the doors, they will effectively hold the door in any desired IOO position of adjustment and prevent accidental movement. Suitable anti-friction roll- At the sides are provided openings 80 top, and the other, preferibly the one on the left side, slightly in advance of the other; and

on these rails are adapted to rest the windowsashes I I, which latter are provided on their under sides with grooves to fit the rails, and on their tops are provided springs c, as shown in Fig. 6, adapted, when the windows are in position with their upper portions in the grooves (Z (Z in the top B, to hold the sashes firmly on the rails, though permitting their sliding on them when desired. These springs also serve the same purpose as those on the doors, permitting the sashes to be removed, when desired, by compressing them and lifting the lower ends of the sashes off the rails. As I propose to make the dash, as stated, of iron and leather, and not rigid, the springs serve to keep the sashes tight and compensate for any spring that may exist in the dash itself.

As it is desirable that the window on the right-hand side, on which the driver sits, be more readily opened thanthe other one, I prefer to provide the spring for this window with the rollers, as on the doors, and also to provide a means whereby it can be readily operated without necessitating the drivers loosening his hold of the reins, which latter pass through suitable slots, f f, in the top of the dash, as shown.

Pivoted tothe lower side of sash I is an L- shaped arm, J projecting toward the right and below the bottom of the rein-slots in the dash, so as not to interfere with them, to the end of which is connected a lever, K, pivoted to the bracket L on the floor of the carriage, and provided with rearwardly and laterally projecting pedals K K whereby the operator can by pressing with his foot upon pedal K open the window, and by means of pedal K close it. The object in extending the pedals slightly to'the rear is to permit them to come beneath the lap-robe, so there will be no necessity of the operators uncovering his feet when he desires to manipulate the window, the robe dropping down between the pedals and lever, as shown. A similar device might be applied to the window I, if desired; but it is seldom necessary to operate this one in the manner stated.

It will be noted that the front edges of the doors are arranged to abut against the rear sides of the dash and front window-sashes, so as to form a tight joint therewith, and that either can be manipulated without afiecting the other, so that in cold weather the occupants will be effectually inclosed, and, if do sired, both windows. can be moved outward slightly, allowing sufficient space between them for the reins or ventilation.

The doors sliding parallel with the body, whether the latter be straight or rounded, can never be interfered with by the wheel, as is the case when swinging doors are used.

IVhen the windows and doors are removed in the manner stated or the door is slid back and fastened, a very comfortable open carriage is formed, with an unobstructed front, there being no corner-posts, as usual, and yet the construction is such that in a very few moments a closed carriage can be provided without requiring the services of a skilled mechanic to effect the transformation \Vhile the improved construction herein described is particularly adapted for carriages wherein the driver is inclosed as well as the other occupants, it is obvious that the arrangement of the doors, not necessarily confined to sliding ones, and windows for converting the vehicle from a closed to an open one, could be as well applied to other kinds of carriages.

I claim as my invention 1. In a vehicle, the combination, with a top and dash, of one or more windows supported between them, and a door or doors at the side or sides, arranged at an angle to the windows and dash, and arranged, when closed, to abut against and form a tight joint with them, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle, the combination, with the top and dash, of one or more movable win- "dows supported between them, arranged to slide on the dash, and a door or doors at the side arranged, when closed, to form a tight joint with the window and dash, substantially as described.

3. In a vehicle, the combination, with the top and dash, of one or more removable windows supported between them, and a door or doors arranged, when closed, to form a tight joint with the window and dash, substantially as described.

4. In a vehicle, the combination, with the top and dash, of one or more removable windows between them, suitable projections and recesses between the windows and dash, and a spring or springs for holding them in e11- gagement, substantially as described.

5. In a vehicle, the combination, with the top and dash having the groove or grooves and the rail or rails, of the windows having the slots for the rails and the'springs for holding the ribs and grooves in engagement, substantially as described.

6. In a vehicle, the combination, with the top having the grooves and the dash having the two rails, of the two windows having grooves for engaging the rails on the dash and the springs at the top for holding them in position, substantially as described.

'7. In a vehicle, the combination, with the supporting-rail and the groove, of the sliding door having the groove for the rail and the spring for holding the door upon the rail, substantially as described.

8. In a vehicle, the combination, with the supporting-rail and the groove or slot for the door, of the sliding door having the spring for holding it on the rail, having the rollers for co-operating with the bottom of the groove, substantially as described.

9. In a vehicle, the combination, with th sliding Windows, of the pivoted lever having the two pedals on opposite sides of the pivot for moving it in opposite directions, and a link connecting said lever and window, substantially as described. 

